Climate Control unti missing in mid-council for 2008 Highlander

[Shah]

I have a 2008 Hybrid highlander which I bought used from a Toyota dealer in Montreal. The car was advertised and Toyota inspected & certified. This is my very first Toyota car.

The car is a 7 passenger and has three rows. There are no air coming out of the ceiling vents in the 2nd and 3rd rows. After taking it to the dealer, the service department told me that it is missing the temperature control unit that is supposed to be in the mid-council. In its place it has vents opening which no air comes out of it. The only fan/temp control is in the front.

The used car department has been dragging its feet for two months and is very reluctant to fix the problem. They have finally found a 2nd hand (beat up) control unit that they think will have to be installed in place of the current small vents. They are not sure if there is even a wiring and a harness in the council once they take out the vents. On top, they want me to pay for all installation.

My questions are:

1) In your opinion, am I right in asking them to fix the problem with all new parts and change the council, if they have to, since this was a certified car that I bought?

2) To the guys in this forum who are familiar with the ventilation system, Is there a fan in the mid-council and would replacing the vents with a unit fix the problem? I do not trust this dealer and its diagnosis.

3) Why would some one take out the original control unit and replace it with useless vents in the first place?

Thanks for your opinions & help here. It is my first Toyota and I am very disappointed with the quality of service I am getting.

[TrailDust]

to the nation!

You might want to search the 2nd Generation 2008+ Highlander forum for at least one and possibly two past threads that discussed 2nd and 3rd row ventilation issues. Or, if you like, I can move this thread to that forum and I'll leave a redirect in the Highlander Hybrid forum, just let me know.

[jeffs3820]

I just looked in my 2008 US brochure. The rear air conditioner is not standard on the hybrid. It requires the Popular or Popular Plus packages...but this may be different in Canada.

The popular package includes fabric-trimmed third row seat, illuminated vanity mirrors, second row reading lamps, 19" wheels, power adjustable drivers-seat with power lumbar. If you have those options then the rear air conditional was an available option...not standard, but an option.

If you take your VIN number to the dealer they should be able to look up how the vehicle was ordered.

I would guess the ceiling vents and vents in the console would still be there if the rear air conditioner was not installed but this is purely a guess. Would seem simpler for the factory.

[Shah]

TrailDust, I wasn't aware of the other forum, but it seems that my post does belong to the other forum. I appreciate if you cld move it there. Sorry for the mix up.

Jefs3820, the car is actually a US car that was imported to Canada by the dealer. I am on a business trip in Dallas this week and will pay a visit to a Toyota dealership here to check out the VIN and get options on this vehicle. I guess they can also tell me if it is a straight forward thing to put in the control panel. Thanks for your help.

[TrailDust]

No problem at all, Shah. I'll take a look for the thread I mentioned, and if I find it I'll post it up.